Mounting for machine guns



April 11, 1933.

T. J. HEAVEY 1,903,508

MOUNTING FOR MACHINE GUNS Filed March 28, 1932 Inventor Thrjmas LI-HEE.V E Y Attorney v Patented Apr. 1 1 1933 THOMAS J. HEAVEY, or THE UNITED srA'r Es' mi, Fess IliJlLEY, KANSAS MOUNTING FOR MACHINE GUNS Application filed March 28, 1932. Serial No. 601,688.

(GRANTED UNDER THE ACT OF MARGE 3, 1883, AS AMENDED APRIL 30, 19 28; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

5 This invention relates to a mounting for machine guns.

Arrangements heretofore proposed for adapting a machine gun mount to support a gun for high angle as well as low angle firing usually involve a considerable modification of the gun and mount or the addition of auxiliarystructure. Provisions of this character increase the weight of the gun or mount and entail an appreciable expenditure of time and money.

The purpose of the present invention is to modify the Browning machine gun to enable it to be supported in high angle firing position on an element of a mount employed tosupport the gun for low angle firing. The adaptation permitting the accomplishment of this purpose is effected in a novel, yet simple manner by providing specially positioned apertures in the receiver of the gun.

A ractical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a mount showing the position of a gun supported thereon for low angle firing.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the gun in position for high angle firing.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the trunnion block of the gun.

Referring to the drawing by numerals of reference:

The standard infantry machine gun mount for low angle firing consists of a tripod 5 in whose socket is a pintle 6 which carries the cradle 7 by means of trunnions 8.

The machine gun 9 is normally mounted in the cradle by means of a rear pin 10 passing through spaced brackets 11 on the gun and the head 12a of an elevating shaft 12 5 and by means of a front pin 13 passing through aligned apertures 14 in the cradle and through an aperture 15 in the trunnion block 16' of the gun.

As clearly shown in Fig. 3, the bottom of the trunnion block is formed with a recess 17 which cooperates with the sides 1818 of the receiver in providing a pocket.

The structure heretofore described is identical with the standard gun and mount. The only modification proposed consists in providing aligned apertures 1919 in the side plates 18 of the receiver a short distance in rear of the aperture 15 in the trunnion block and on an axis passing transversely across the recess 17. The aperture 19 on the right side plate is formed with a key-way 20 for recelving the usual locking lug 21 on the rear pin 10. v

The gun is in position on the cradle for low angle firing when, as in Fig. 1, it is attached by means of the rear and front pins 10 and 13. The operation necessary to adust the gun for high angle'firing, as in Fig. 2, consists in removing the pins 10 and 13, moving the gun rearwardly so that the head of the elevating shaft 12 is disposed in the recess 17 and inserting the rear pin 10 through the apertures 19 and the head of the elevating shaft. In this position the pin 10 serves as the trunnion of the gun. Traverse is obtained by rotating the gun on the axis of the elevating shaft and by rotating the cradle.

This procedure is reversed in restoring the gun to its normal mounting for low angle ring.

Since the only modification consists in providing the apertures 19 in the gun, the weight will be reduced and the expense of making the alteration will be slight.

I claim:

1. A gun mounting including a support having aligned apertures, an elevating shaft at the rear of the support having an apertured head, a gun having an apertured trunnion block and apertured rear brackets, a front pin insertable through the apertures of the support and the apertured trunnion block, a rear pin insertable through the apertured brackets and the apertured head of the elevating shaft, and said gun having an auxiliary set of aligned apertures in its side plates whereby the gun may be connected to the apertured head of the elevating shaft by means of the rear pin.

TES mesmorrrcsflf1 block.

V THOMAS J. HEAVEY. 

